


who counsels the counselor

by ernads



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Extras, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-27 23:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6304561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ernads/pseuds/ernads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This happens following “the best of both worlds, part two”.</p><p>Or: how did Picard’s kidnapping and mutilation by the Borg affect his senior stuff?</p>
            </blockquote>





	who counsels the counselor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [telm_393](https://archiveofourown.org/users/telm_393/gifts).



> This was something I wanted to explore for ages. Thanks for the chance :)

Deanna Troy collapsed on her bed, utterly exhausted. Her head throbbed with a dull, unrelenting pain. She rubbed her temples slowly, in an attempt to ease it, but that had proven futile. Even her favorite chocolate ice-cream had failed to revive her, after all.  
She sighed, deeply. Sleep will not come for her this night. Even though her abilities were only partial, due to the Human side of her heritage, she was not able to tune out Captain Picard’s emotions.  
As ship counselor aboard the Enterprise, one of her most important functions was to see to the emotional stability of the Captain. Thus her empath abilities were strongly attuned on the him. It was extremely difficult (and felt morally wrong to her) to “turn it of”.  
And now, she shared, almost against her will, Captain’s Picard agony following the disaster at Wolf 3-5-9.  
Night after night she would wake up, alarmed and terrified, her mind filled to brimming with imaged not her own – she was held captive, helpless, violated. Her mind forced and ripped open as greedy minds sucked all her hard-gained knowledge. Used against her own kind, her own ship…  
And she would jump up and run to the Captain’s room, to try and talk with him and ease him.  
She failed. She failed, every time.  
It’s not that he would not talk to her, try to cooperate. It was that he was so damn closed and stubborn, so hard-set to protect her from his pain. It drove her crazy, at time.

Suddenly she jumped up, throwing her blanked aside, pulled on her robe and headed for Sickbay. Hoping fervently that Beverly will hold fort even at this late hour.  
Sickbay was nearly empty at this hour. However, to her relief, Beverly was still at her office.  
She looked up as Deanna entered: “ Dea, is everything alright? You look exhausted. What brings you here so late?”  
“ I don’t know how long I can take this. The nightmares, they are growing worse, and there is so little I can do to help him. He is devouring himself with guilt. And the worst part is, he is locking it all in. Trying so hard to cling to his Captain’s Face”

“ I know. I’ve tried having breakfast with him for the last few days,but it’s awkward. As if I’m talking with a stranger instead of one of my closest friends.”

She rose from her desk and approached Deanna, putting her arm comfortingly around her. “Come sit with me a bit. I want to try to make something that will help you sleep, but without blocking your empathic senses. This way, you will be able to sense it if the Captain needs you, but hopefully be less impacted by his emotions.”

“Thank you Bev”.

“Don’t, I should have checked on you much sooner. I know how attuned you are to him, but”

“But we were all overwhelmed I guess”.

“Yes”.

“It will improve with time, Dea. I know it’s hard to find comfort in it right now, but it will”

“I believe you. It’s what I tell Captain Picard in our sessions”.

“And until it does, let me try to help you as much as I can, OK?. I’m your friend, and I’m his friend. You don’t have to bear this alone, Dea”

Deanna leaned her head on Beverly’s shoulder for a moment : “ Thanks, Bev”.

“Here, drink this and try to go to sleep now. I think I will prefer it if you stay here tonight so that I can monitor you. “.

“Really Bev that’s not needed”.

“Yes, really Deanna. You can hardly stand on your feet right now. Into bed”.

“Oh all right”.

Deanna allowed herself to be walked to one of the vacant beds. She lay down and felt the exhaustion drown her, drawing her down like a deep whirlpool.

She heard a faint “Sleep well Dea” and let the sleep claim her.


End file.
